Latest news with #MaxwellFrost
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'I saw myself in those cages': Fl. Dem. Rep. recounts visit to Alligator Alcatraz
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fl.) talks with Rachel Maddow about his visit to inspect Donald Trump's immigrant internment camp in the Florida Everglades. He recounted the importance of his trip as one of the few visitors, not apart of the staff, to investigate the facility's conditions. 'I don't need anyone's permission to pull up to an immigration detention center and do my job,' says Frost.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrats spent thousands in campaign funds to visit illegal Kilmar Abrego Garcia: report
Despite some claiming they spent money out of their own pockets, several Democrats spent thousands in campaign funds to visit illegal alien and alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, according to reporting by the New York Post. Democrats rallied around Abrego Garcia after they claimed he was wrongly deported by the Trump administration to his home country of El Salvador in March. Several Democrats, including representatives Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.; Robert Garcia, D-Calif., Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., Maxine Dexter, D-Ore.; and Glenn Ivey, D-Md., flew to El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia's return. The New York Post reported that Frost, Garcia, Ansari and Dexter, all of whom made a joint trip to San Salvador to pressure the Trump administration to return Abrego Garcia April 21, paid for the trip through campaign funding, despite all except Garcia claiming they paid out of pocket. The New York Post wrote that Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show Frost's campaign reported spending $1,362 on Salvadoran-Colombian airline Avianca May 8, about a week after his trip to visit Abrego Garcia. Dexter's campaign similarly reportedly spent $1,315 on travel with Taca Airlines April 18, despite the representative saying he had self-funded the trip. Despite telling a local news outlet she had used her own money for the trip, Ansari's campaign reported in FEC filings that the congresswoman spent $2,616 on travel with Salvadoran airline Avianca the same month she flew to visit Abrego Garcia. Meanwhile, California Democrat Garcia's office confirmed he spent $1,982 on another Salvadoran airline, Taca International Airlines, in April, and an additional $502 for "event space rental" at the Hilton San Salvador, the outlet reported. Ivey, who attempted to visit Abrego Garcia in late May, spent $291 in campaign funds, according to the Post report. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., the first Democrat to make the trip and who remained an outspoken voice on Abrego Garcia's behalf, notably did not report any campaign spending for Salvadoran air travel or lodging in mid-April, when he made his trip. Abrego Garcia, who was returned to the U.S. in June, faces charges of human smuggling and conspiracy. According to an indictment, Abrego Garcia played a "significant role" in a human smuggling ring operating for nearly a decade. Attorney General Pam Bondi described him as a full-time smuggler who made more than 100 trips, transporting women, children and MS-13 gang-affiliated persons throughout the U.S. According to police and court records shared with Fox News Digital, Abrego Garcia was arrested in Hyattsville in October 2019, at which point he was identified by the Prince George's County [Maryland] Police Gang Unit as a member of MS-13.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hundreds of detainees with no criminal charges sent to Trump's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
The notorious new 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration jail in the Florida Everglades contains hundreds of detainees with no criminal records or charges, it was disclosed on Sunday, as lawmakers decried 'inhumane' conditions inside after touring the facility. Donald Trump has insisted that the remote camp in swamp land populated by pythons and alligators was reserved for immigrants who were 'deranged psychopaths' and 'some of the most vicious people on the planet' awaiting deportation. But at least one detainee shouted out to politicians during Saturday's visit that he was a US citizen, the Democratic Florida congressman Maxwell Frost said. And the Miami Herald obtained and published a list of 700 people held in cages showing that at least 250 had committed no offense other than a civil immigration violation. Authorities have refused to release a list of those sent there by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice). The Florida department of emergency management, which operates the hastily assembled tent encampment, said in a brief statement: 'All detainees at the facility are illegal immigrants, and any claim otherwise it's completely false [sic]'. Frost said the revelations, and the lawmakers' visit, raised new questions about the legality of the camp, which federal agencies in court documents have insisted is entirely a state-run and -funded operation. 'There are Ice agents there every day, and I was told directly from the guy running the whole thing that Ice tells them exactly what to do, how to put everything together,' he said. 'They gave them the instructions on how to do the cages, the food, who comes in and goes out. It's Ice making all the decisions, and he was very clear that the role the state is playing is logistical. This is a federal facility. Ice is calling all the shots.' Frost said conditions for detainees were intolerable, with excessive heat and meager food portions. There were three exposed toilets for 32 people held in each cage, some often not flushing, and drinking water was provided from a spigot on the cistern, Frost said. 'It's a huge cleanliness concern,' he said. 'It's the same unit where people are shitting, and if you really need to drink water you have to wait until somebody's finished using the bathroom.' He added that detainees were guarded by private security staff from a 'hodgepodge' of companies. 'It's a huge source of taxpayer money, just going to corporations. But also what worries me is these people do not have the training you need to run a facility like this,' he said. Florida officials have denied conditions are unsafe or unhygienic in previous statements, and accused media outlets of spreading 'fake news'. Meanwhile, judges in south Florida are mulling a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups trying to halt the jail. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Friends of the Everglades group are seeking a restraining order against activity at the camp at a largely abandoned airstrip in the wilderness west of Miami. Their concerns, the CBD attorney Elise Bennett noted, were not just for conditions inside the camp. They say there is ongoing, irreparable damage caused by a network of new paved roads on fragile wildlife habitat, and light pollution in the previously dark night sky that can be seen from 15 miles (24km) away. 'We're concerned that the court has not acted yet because we are continuing to see construction and operation activities at the site,' she said. The lawsuit, in the US southern district federal court, names Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary; Todd Lyons, the acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice); and Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida division of emergency management (DEM), as defendants. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Even without a ruling, the case has already proven disruptive. It has cast into doubt the assertion by Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, that the state would receive federal reimbursement of the $450m it spent to set up and operate the jail in support of Trump's aggressive detention and deportation agenda. In a written response, the justice department attempted to distance itself from the facility, arguing the homeland security department had 'not implemented, authorized, directed or funded Florida's temporary detention center', and that Florida was 'constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority'. No request for federal funds was received, and no money given, it said. The statement appeared to contradict Noem's social media post insisting that Alligator Alcatraz would be 'largely funded' by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), amplified by Trump on his visit to Florida earlier this month when he told reporters: 'We took the Fema money … and we used it to build this project.' Bennett said the federal filing did not hold water, calling it 'a convenient litigation position that is belied by all the public statements these agencies and officials have been making, as well as just the nature of the activity'. 'Enforcing federal immigration law by detaining immigrants is inherently a federal action and it cannot occur without the participation of the federal agencies,' she said. A new lawsuit was filed on Thursday by a number of Democratic state lawmakers who were turned away when they tried to access the jail despite their right under Florida statute to make unannounced visits to state and local detention facilities to 'observe the unadulterated conditions' therein. 'Just hours before we were denied entry, they allowed the president of the United States and Fox News to basically run a propaganda video about how wonderful this site is, but that is not what we're hearing on the ground,' state senator Carlos Guillermo Smith said. 'What are they hiding? What is it they don't want us to see?' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. In an earlier emailed statement, Stephanie Hartman, the deputy director of communications for the DEM, accused the lawmakers of engaging in 'political theater' for trying to visit the jail, despite Trump and Noem's own well-publicized visit with a Fox camera crew in tow just 48 hours earlier. She also said they had no entitlement to visit because they were acting as individuals, not a legislative committee, and because the facility was not under the jurisdiction of the Florida corrections department. Smith said he was outraged that some undocumented detainees had no criminal convictions or charges, despite Trump touting it during his visit as a jail for the 'most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet'. Without federal reimbursement, Smith said: 'Florida taxpayers could be left holding a half-a-million-dollar bag to pay for this cruel, inhumane, un-American detention camp that will ultimately bleed money out of our public schools, out of critical government services that Floridians need, and out-of-state resources that are required to support hurricane survivors.'
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hundreds of detainees with no criminal charges sent to Trump's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
The notorious new 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration jail in the Florida Everglades contains hundreds of detainees with no criminal records or charges, it was disclosed on Sunday, as lawmakers decried 'inhumane' conditions inside after touring the facility. Donald Trump has insisted that the remote camp in swamp land populated by pythons and alligators was reserved for immigrants who were 'deranged psychopaths' and 'some of the most vicious people on the planet' awaiting deportation. But at least one detainee shouted out to politicians during Saturday's visit that he was a US citizen, the Democratic Florida congressman Maxwell Frost said. And the Miami Herald obtained and published a list of 700 people held in cages showing that at least 250 had committed no offense other than a civil immigration violation. Authorities have refused to release a list of those sent there by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice). The Florida department of emergency management, which operates the hastily assembled tent encampment, did not respond to a request from the Guardian for clarification or comment. Frost said the revelations, and the lawmakers' visit, raised new questions about the legality of the camp, which federal agencies in court documents have insisted is entirely a state-run and funded operation. 'There are Ice agents there every day, and I was told directly from the guy running the whole thing that Ice tells them exactly what to do, how to put everything together,' he said. 'They gave them the instructions on how to do the cages, the food, who comes in and goes out. It's Ice making all the decisions, and he was very clear that the role the state is playing is logistical. This is a federal facility. Ice is calling all the shots.' Frost said conditions for detainees were intolerable, with excessive heat and meager food portions. There were three exposed toilets for 32 people held in each cage, some often not flushing, and drinking water was provided from a spigot on the cistern, Frost said. 'It's a huge cleanliness concern,' he said. 'It's the same unit where people are shitting, and if you really need to drink water you have to wait until somebody's finished using the bathroom.' He added that detainees were guarded by private security staff from a 'hodgepodge' of companies. 'It's a huge source of taxpayer money, just going to corporations. But also what worries me is these people do not have the training you need to run a facility like this,' he said. Florida officials have denied conditions are unsafe or unhygienic in previous statements, and accused media outlets of spreading 'fake news'. Meanwhile, judges in south Florida are mulling a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups trying to halt the jail. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Friends of the Everglades group are seeking a restraining order against activity at the camp at a largely abandoned airstrip in the wilderness west of Miami. Their concerns, the CBD attorney Elise Bennett noted, were not just for conditions inside the camp. They say there is ongoing, irreparable damage caused by a network of new paved roads on fragile wildlife habitat, and light pollution in the previously dark night sky that can be seen from 15 miles (24km) away. 'We're concerned that the court has not acted yet because we are continuing to see construction and operation activities at the site,' she said. The lawsuit, in the US southern district federal court, names Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary; Todd Lyons, acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice); and Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida division of emergency management (DEM), as defendants. Even without a ruling, the case has already proven disruptive. It has cast into doubt Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis's assertion that the state would receive federal reimbursement of the $450m it spent to set up and operate the jail in support of Trump's aggressive detention and deportation agenda. In a written response, the justice department attempted to distance itself from the facility, arguing the homeland security department had 'not implemented, authorized, directed or funded Florida's temporary detention center', and that Florida was 'constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority'. No request for federal funds was received, and no money given, it said. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The statement appeared to contradict Noem's social media post insisting that Alligator Alcatraz would be 'largely funded' by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), amplified by Trump on his visit to Florida earlier this month when he told reporters: 'We took the Fema money … and we used it to build this project.' Bennett said the federal filing did not hold water, calling it 'a convenient litigation position that is belied by all the public statements these agencies and officials have been making, as well as just the nature of the activity'. 'Enforcing federal immigration law by detaining immigrants is inherently a federal action and it cannot occur without the participation of the federal agencies,' she said. A new lawsuit was filed on Thursday by a number of Democratic state lawmakers who were turned away when they tried to access the jail despite their right under Florida statute to make unannounced visits to state and local detention facilities to 'observe the unadulterated conditions' therein. 'Just hours before we were denied entry, they allowed the president of the United States and Fox News to basically run a propaganda video about how wonderful this site is, but that is not what we're hearing on the ground,' state senator Carlos Guillermo Smith said. 'What are they hiding? What is it they don't want us to see?' In an earlier emailed statement, Stephanie Hartman, deputy director of communications for the DEM, accused the lawmakers of engaging in 'political theater' for trying to visit the jail, despite Trump and Noem's own well-publicized visit with a Fox camera crew in tow just 48 hours earlier. She also said they had no entitlement to visit because they were acting as individuals, not a legislative committee, and because the facility was not under the jurisdiction of the Florida corrections department. Smith said he was outraged that some undocumented detainees had no criminal convictions or charges, despite Trump touting it during his visit as a jail for the 'most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet'. Without federal reimbursement, Smith said: 'Florida taxpayers could be left holding a half a million dollar bag to pay for this cruel, inhumane, un-American detention camp that will ultimately bleed money out of our public schools, out of critical government services that Floridians need, and out-of-state resources that are required to support hurricane survivors.'
CBS News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida lawmakers visit Alligator Alcatraz for the first time after weeks of being denied entry
Florida lawmakers got their first tour of the new migrant detention facility in the Everglades called Alligator Alcatraz. Democratic lawmakers had been asking for a tour for weeks after detainees claimed there were "inhumane" conditions inside the facility. A group of the lawmakers had sued Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration to be allowed in. On Saturday, protesters lined the streets as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle arrived at the site. "We saw people, of course, yelling for help," said Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost. "We even saw someone yelling in the background, 'I'm an American citizen.'" After touring the facility for several hours, Florida Democrats said that the food portions were smaller for detainees than for the staff, and while they didn't get to see any of the detainees, they said the conditions they saw were "appalling." Democratic lawmakers said they couldn't take pictures or bring their phones inside. Authorities have also denied media access to the detention center. "I brought a thermostat in with me — a manual thermostat," said Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who called the facility "an internment camp" in a post on social media. "In the medical area, it was 85 degrees." Detainees said they've went days without showering or getting prescription medicine, and at times the air conditioners would abruptly shut off in the sweltering heat. Officials have disputed such descriptions of the conditions at the detention center, with spokesperson Stephanie Hartman of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which built the center, saying: "The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order." "Water has to be trucked into this facility — no working pipes," Democratic Rep. Darren Soto said Saturday. "It makes no sense [that] this is here." "Their drinking water comes from the toilet," Frost said. "You're using the toilet, but you can't drink water." Republican lawmakers also got a tour, and said they were satisfied with what they saw. "I will tell you I was in one of the areas where I actually laid down on a bed. The bed was probably more comfortable than my bed at home," said Republican State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia. "I'm not kidding." Alligator Alcatraz was built and opened in a matter of eight days at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the middle of the Florida Everglades. Lawmakers at the county, state and federal levels had been asking to see the inside of the facility after detainees claimed there were "inhumane" conditions. CBS News Miami has reported how detainees described the conditions. One call posted online by a detainee's girlfriend showed he and others claiming limited access to water and inadequate food. The state has denied those accusations. Lawmakers told CBS News Miami they'd like to hold hearings on Alligator Alcatraz and that they're planning an unannounced visit at another date. "When I was in that facility, looking at those cages, I saw young men who looked exactly like me," Frost said. "So, there will be hearings and there will be accountability." Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava was not at Saturday's tour, telling CBS News Miami she hasn't been offered a chance to see the facility yet. She said that the state seized control of the property from the county, raising further questions about local authority and oversight. Cava also said she hopes that she can get regular access to Alligator Alcatraz.
